Euroshipping One-Shots
by RosalindHawkins
Summary: A collection of fluffy/angsty/random one-shots for Euroshipping (Seto Kaiba x Ryou Bakura). Requests welcome. Please Review!
1. Nightmares

"May I come in?" Ryou asked where he stood in the doorway to Seto Kaiba's home office. The young CEO glanced up and nodded, setting down his mug of coffee.

"How's Mokuba?" he asked, eyes still fixed to his computer screen. He'd hired Ryou Bakura as something of a nanny for Mokuba; it ensured that the boy was always attended by a decent authority figure, but also always supplied with tender companionship.

"He's alseep. You should be too," Ryou chastised gently, entering the room and discreetly replacing his mug of coffee with a mug of chamomile tea. Seto, in his current state of exhaustion and tunnel vision, didn't notice until he actually tasted his drink again. He glanced up to cast a half-hearted glare at his companion. At the moment, Ryou was taking a small sip of his cold coffee. He made a face. "You really shouldn't be drinking caffeine this late at night, Seto. You know better than that." Ryou's forehead creased with concern.

"I have work to do," was Seto's simple, stubborn response, eyes still glued to his laptop. Ryou perched on the edge of Seto's desk next to the computer, and when Seto still didn't react, Ryou lay a finger on the top of the laptop's lid. He started pushing it down slowly, so slowly that Seto didn't notice until it was too late. He snatched his fingers out of the way just in time, then cast another half-hearted glare at Ryou.

"Did you sleep last night, Seto?" he asked with one eyebrow raised, one hand pressed firmly on the laptop to keep it closed.

"No," the elder Kaiba brother growled unconcernedly.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself," Ryou sighed disapprovingly. "Do I need you to put you to bed the way I put Mokuba to bed?" He crossed his arms with vague indignance.

"No, but you can make me another cup of coffee," was Seto's nonchalant answer as he reached for his laptop to open it again. Ryou pushed down on the laptop lid again just as Seto started to open it, glaring at the brunette.

"You're obviously exhausted. Cumulative lack of sleep, like what you do to yourself, is terrible for your health," Ryou scolded, looking cross. He hated the way Seto was always so hard on himself, pushing his body to its furthest limits. He'd seen it happen way too many times in the past year he'd been working for the Kaiba's. Seto's bloodshot eyes just stared back at him blankly. "I'm putting you to bed," Ryou said decisively, taking Seto's hands in his own and helping him to stand. The young CEO was too tired to protest anymore. He swayed, and Ryou caught him before he collapsed completely. Ryou pulled Kaiba's arm around his shoulders and helped support him as he led him out of the office and down the hallway to his bedroom. Ryou knew where it was, though he'd never been inside. Seto was silent, still not protesting. Ryou decided that he couldn't leave Seto by himself like this, so he'd continue to help him until he was told to stop.

He guided Seto to his walk-in closet, rushing to locate a set of blue silk pajamas and handing them to his tired employer. "Here, change into these, unless you need my help with that as well." Seto shook his head after a moment, and Ryou left the closet to let Seto change. He began to turn down the sheets of the large bed, savoring the soft texture of the sheets. It was far finer than anything he'd ever be able to afford. This he did with ease, for it was what he did for Mokuba every night. He'd once suggested to Seto that he take the time to put his own brother to bed at least once a week, but Seto had insisted that he was too busy. When Seto emerged from the closet, he shuffled straight to the bathroom to finish getting ready there. Ryou leaned against the wall, not trusting Seto to get himself to bed on his own if Ryou left. He'd suspected for a long time now that Seto Kaiba suffered from severe insomnia. Every time something like this happened, his suspicions became increasingly confirmed. He waited patiently for Seto to emerge once again.

Seto looked a little more awake as he shuffled out of the bathroom, but Ryou wasn't taking any chances. He put an arm around the nineteen-year-old's shoulders and gently guided him to bed. Seto had yet to protest; in fact, he'd hardly spoken at all this evening. Ryou got Seto as far as the edge of the bed before Seto showed any sign of resistance. He halted and turned to face Ryou, a strange, pinched expression on his face that Ryou had difficulty understanding in the half-light of the billionaire's bedroom.

"Do I have to sleep?" he asked quietly, voice rough as he sought to hide his fear.

Ryou studied his face carefully, answering slowly, "Yes, Seto, you have to sleep. If you try going three or more days without sleep, you'll start hallucinating, and then you won't be able to do anybody any good, not Mokuba and not your company."

Seto's shoulders slumped in disappointment, but he didn't seem to have the physical strength to resist as Ryou guided him gently into bed, leaning forward to tuck him in as he did Mokuba. Without thinking, he brushed Seto's bangs aside to expose his forehead before pressing a kiss to his cool, pale skin. He felt startled with himself as he pulled back; he'd been on autopilot, he hadn't meant to—

A hand snaked its way into Ryou's fair locks and pulled his head back down so that their lips met. After a moment, Ryou's eyes fluttered closed as he leaned into the kiss, letting himself enjoy it. Seto broke it a few moments later, nuzzling against the other teens cheek. "Do you have to leave?"

It was the closest Seto Kaiba had ever gotten to begging anybody for anything since the death of Gozaburo. Ryou heard the plea in his voice, his heart aching for the tortured soul that lay beneath him. "I can stay," he answered breathily.

Seto tugged weakly at Ryou's clothes to get him to join him in bed, and after only a brief hesitation, Ryou complied, slipping off his shoes before sliding in with Seto underneath the sheets. He propped himself up against the pillows and let Seto lay his head against his chest. Ryou gently stroked Seto's hair in a soothing manner, hoping that it would lull the stressed CEO to sleep. His eyes remained open though, and Ryou decided to dare a question that had been on his mind for a long time: "Seto, are you afraid to sleep?"

Seto's head jerked slightly under his hand, then settled again with a sigh. "Yes," he answered tersely. Ryou wasn't bothered by his tone. He understood Seto's long-standing difficulty with speaking about himself.

"You have insomnia, don't you?"

"Yes," Seto choked out, burying his face in Ryou's chest. The white-haired teen got the feeling that Seto had never been this vulnerable with somebody before.

"How long?"

"As long as I can remember." That was a concerning answer.

"What makes you afraid?" He didn't know if he'd get an answer, but it was worth asking.

Seto's arms tightened around Ryou, pressing his face into the rough cotton of Ryou's t-shirt. "Nightmares," came the ragged whisper.

"Do you want to talk about them?" Ryou didn't expect a yes, and he was right.

"No, I don't," came the pained answer. Ryou was still stroking and petting Seto's hair, trying to reassure him. "I don't ever want to talk about it."

"You'll have to, eventually, if you want the problem to go away," Ryou pointed out gently. "And whenever that time comes, I'll be there, willing to hear you out. Whether it's two in the afternoon or two in the morning, I'll be there to listen and to help you however I can."

Seto let out a choked, "Thank you," overwhelmed with emotion that he hadn't the energy to suppress. But he did have the energy to lift his head and prop himself up on his hands, leaning forward to kiss his companion again.

Ryou responded tenderly, fingers twining through the soft brown locks as Seto parted his lips and deepened the kiss. Ryou yielded, and immediately noticed that he could still taste the coffee in Seto's mouth. He must have drunk gallons of it today to keep himself awake. That much caffeine would really screw with your system, which explained the slight tremor that Ryou felt in his lover's arms.

"Are you uncomfortable in your clothes?" Seto murmured against his cheek. Even though he still sounded drop-dead exhausted, it still sounded sultry and enticing. "I can loan you some pajamas if you want."

"Thank you," Ryou murmured, and Seto rolled off of him to allow him up. Ryou slipped into Seto's closet and changed quickly into a set of silk pajamas that matched Seto's perfectly, except Seto's was sapphire blue and Ryou's were snow white. He rejoined Seto in bed, half-hoping that he'd be asleep when he returned. He wasn't. Ryou took a moment to tie his hair back before laying down again to feel Seto press up against him.

"Seto, what does this make us?" he asked quietly, mild anxiety gnawing inside his stomach. He cared for Seto, he really did, but his own nature wouldn't permit him to let this continue until he had a name that he could put to their new relationship.

"Lovers," he whispered, the faintest blush staining his cheeks. "Boyfriends, if you'd like. That's what I want."

"I would like that too," Ryou murmured, chocolate eyes softening as he pressed another kiss to Seto's forehead. "But why me?"

"You're the only one I can trust, and the only one who believes that I even have a heart, besides Mokuba." The sadness in Seto's voice pierced Ryou's heart, prompting him to snuggle up against his troubled friend.

"We're not the only ones who believe that," he assured, only to be answered with a short, bitter laugh.

"I doubt that."

"You'd be surprised." Seto glanced up at him, looking puzzled. He opened his mouth to ask more, but Ryou cut him off. "Now, you need to get to sleep. You'll go nuts if you don't." Ryou pulled Seto against him, his chest pressed to his partner's back in an intimate spooning position. "I'm right here, you're safe," he whispered in Seto's ear. "You don't have anything to fear."

Seto seemed reluctant, but after maybe 20 minutes, Seto finally felt fully relaxed in Ryou's arms. It took him some time, but an hour later Seto finally drifted asleep. Good. Now that he was asleep, Ryou could do the same.

The next morning, Seto woke up later than usual, but he was much closer to his normal self. A maid had delivered his morning coffee to Master Kaiba's bedroom, slipping in and out before either teen was awake. Seto woke up first, and by the time Ryou was awake, the other had already showered, dressed, and was drying his damp hair carelessly with a towel, his mug of coffee in his other hand. Ryou felt disoriented upon waking up in a silky softness that he was unaccustomed to. He rubbed his bleary eyes as Seto walked over, tossing the towel over his shoulder as he held out a hand to Ryou, helping him to his feet then immediately pulling him into a one-armed embrace. Ryou pressed his face against Seto's shoulder, closing his eyes as he inhaled the scent of his cologne.

"Thank you," he muttered into Ryou's messy hair, which had fallen out of its ponytail overnight. "That was the best sleep I've had in a long time. Seto was back to his confident, strong, bold self, but when Ryou glanced up at his face, he could still see that flash of tenderness in his eyes, and the coffee-flavored kiss he received assured him more than anything else that last night hadn't been a dream.

It was a month after the beginning of their relationship, and Seto was trying to convince Ryou to move into the huge mansion he shared with only his brother and his servants. Ryou thought he was rushing things for his own personal reasons; that is, Seto had issues that he wasn't willing to talk about just yet, but Ryou's presence was usually enough to help him cope. Ryou thought it would be best for him to talk about whatever was bothering him, if not with Ryou then with a therapist, but Seto was stubbornly refusing to open up about himself with anybody. He kept insisting that he was fine, that nothing was wrong. That it would simply be more conducive to Ryou's job if he lived with them, allowing him to spend more time caring for Mokuba and less time in commute.

Seto was never again as vulnerable or weak as he'd been that first night, mostly because he was actually getting a decent amount of sleep every night, thanks to Ryou. Most of the time, Ryou only stayed long enough for Seto to fall asleep, then returned to his own empty apartment full of cheap cotton sheets, frozen dinners, and Ramen noodles. Only most of the time, though. Other nights, he stayed with Seto. They'd consummated their relationship more than once now, and their intimacy seemed to be the best thing for Seto's sleep, even more so than the melatonin pills Ryou'd insisted he try. It only ever happened late at night, in the dark. Well, it had happened once in the morning, and that had been a good day for both of them. Still, Seto's heart was guarded, and he was still hiding things from his boyfriend that Ryou couldn't begin to fathom.

True, his apartment was nothing like his boyfriend's dwelling, and while he preferred the mansion to his own apartment, he wasn't going to let Seto take the easy way out of his own problems. Ryou was getting increasingly concerned about whatever went on in Seto's mind, and the events of the next day did nothing to reassure him.

It was surprisingly hot for early June, and in the afternoon, the AC at the mansion blew out. Technicians were called over to that day to look at it, but apparently the job couldn't be completed until tomorrow at the earliest. When Seto came home that evening and heard that the AC was blown out in his house, a scowl found its way more or less permanently onto his face. He stormed around the house like an irritable thundercloud, ready to strike lightning at the slightest thing that set him off. When Ryou became aware of this fact, he sent Mokuba off to his room to wash up for dinner, telling him to wait there for Ryou to get him. Then he went off to find Seto.

He found his boyfriend in his room, angrily yanking off his tie, muttering to himself angrily as he shoved off his suit jacket. Ryou knocked on the doorframe, glad that he had the offering of an iced coffee to help cool him off. Seto turned and relaxed a little as he registered that it was Ryou at his door.

"Not a good day, I assume?" he asked gently, brown doe-eyes understanding as he stepped forward and held out the iced coffee. Seto accepted it and took a deep gulp before answering.

"All of my colleagues are idiots," he muttered fiercely. "And this heat doesn't make things any better."

"You know, it wouldn't be so bad if you changed into some cooler clothes and opened the windows to allow for air flow." Seto gave him a perplexed expression. "You do own casual clothes, don't you?" Ryou asked, half-teasingly. As he watched Seto's face, however, he realized the answer to the question was most likely no.

Seto didn't answer him directly. "I think we should just go to a hotel for the night," he said, striding over to his nightstand and picking up his iPad and beginning to search for a nice hotel with availability in the area. Ryou followed him deeper into the room, bothered by something. Seto hadn't even rolled up his sleeves, yet he'd started sweating under his expensive work shirt. He'd undone the top couple buttons on his shirt in addition to removing his tie, but that was it. Ryou was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt, and he was hot in that. He hugged Seto around the waist as he stood behind him, making the elder brother start.

"Is this decaf?" Seto asked, trying to maintain his grouchiness, though Ryou could sense his bad mood was sitting.

"Yes, because your insomnia will only get worse if you keep drinking so much caffeine so late in the day." Ryou continued as Seto pouted in a childish manner. "I've told you this before, and I'll keep telling you until it finally penetrates your thick skull." Ryou kissed the back of Seto's head then lay his head on his lover's shoulder, loosening his arms. It was too hot to be so close with so many clothes between them. Now that Ryou thought about it, he'd never seen Seto with his shirt off. He'd never even seen Ryou's arms bare.

"That's bull," Seto growled obstinately, setting down the glass as he was preoccupied with finding a hotel that met his normal living standards.

"Seto, take your shirt off," Ryou said suddenly. He felt Kaiba stiffen in his arms, then he locked his device and set it down, crossing his arms over his chest before turning his head to the side to meet Ryou's gaze.

"Why?" he demanded. His guard was up, playing the defensive since he felt himself to be under attack. That one night of extreme vulnerability had given Ryou much insight into Seto's mind and behavior, and he'd caught on to the nuances of his moods rather quickly after that.

"Why not? It's boiling in here and you're sweating even more than I am. You'd be much more comfortable if you did," Ryou answered in a calm, soothing tone. When Seto's temper was up, the best thing to do was to keep your cool. Seto took another drink from the glass of iced coffee as he thought of an appropriate answer to that comment. While he did so, Ryou decided to continue. "You're hiding something, aren't you? The only other option is that you're shy, and we both know that's not true."

Seto didn't like where this conversation was going. He began to turn around in Ryou's arms only to be shoved against the wall, his wrists seized in Ryou's hands and pressed to the wall beside his head. He gaped down in shock at his boyfriend, whose face was surprisingly sober.

"Seto, what aren't you telling me? What are you hiding?" Ryou's voice was quiet and concerned, and Seto felt his chest tighten with wordless dread.

"I'm not having this conversation," he snapped, freeing himself of Ryou's hold and striding across the room to remove his wallet and watch and place them on the dresser.

"Then we're not going to a hotel for the night," Ryou countered, causing Seto to glance up at him sharply. "At least, Mokuba and I will be staying here. You can go ahead and stay at a hotel if you wish, but we won't be following you." It was a bold move, especially when Seto had the power to fire him and/or break up with him. Seto's eyes looked like they were lit with internal flames as he strode over to where Ryou still stood by the wall. Ryou unconsciously stepped back, only to feel the wall press against his back. Seto dipped his head down and caught Ryou's lips in his own, initiating a sizzling kiss that made Ryou's insides twist into knots.

"You're not going to leave me tonight," Seto whispered against his cheek in that seductive voice that drove Ryou crazy.

"Please don't do this," the white-haired teen pleaded, unable to summon the strength of will to push him away. It had only happened twice before that Seto had used physical attraction and teasing as a means of manipulation. Perhaps it was time that he had a talk with Seto about that too.

"Do what?" he breathed against Ryou's neck before licking the salty flesh wantonly. Ryou wriggled uncomfortably between Seto and the wall.

"You know what I mean," Ryou snapped, the rush of hormones so early in the evening making him jumpy. "Mokuba is waiting for me, and we haven't even had dinner yet," he added.

That was enough to make Seto falter, however briefly. "We can tell a servant to bring him dinner in his room, and you and I can eat later."

"Seto, you're just trying to avoid the problem," Ryou gasped out as Seto's teeth met his flesh.

"So?" Apparently, Seto saw no problem with this, not any problem that he'd confess to anyways.

"Seto, stop trying to hide from me. Please, be honest with me. I've trusted you, now it's time for you to do the same." Kaiba paused, freezing in his tracks. He pressed his lips to the bitemark in a tender kiss. Ryou took his pause to mean that he was thinking over his words. "Please, Seto," Ryou begged. "You've trusted me with a lot, so why not trust me with this, too, whatever it is?"

Seto's arms slipped around Ryou's waist as he buried his face in the hollow of Ryou's shoulder. Ryou tentatively began to stroke his fingers through Seto's thick hair, praying that his foul mood had finally passed. "Do you really want to know?" Seto asked, his voice rough in that particular low pitch it acquired when he was upset and emotional.

Ryou smiled gently and answered, "Perhaps we ought to send Mokuba dinner first, and have dinner brought to ourselves as well."

Seto laughed softly, releasing his partner and straightening up to press a kiss to Ryou's forehead. "You're right," he whispered, releasing him so that he could do just that. While Ryou left to take care of dinner, Seto threw open the windows and closed the curtains. The sunlight made the room hotter, so he blocked it from entering, but the open windows let some cooler air in.

When Ryou returned to the dim room, Seto was much less irate. The slump of his shoulders communicating defeat and reluctant cooperation. Ryou approached him with a gentle smile, giving him a kiss before pulling away and looking up at him expectantly. Seto sighed and began to unbutton his shirt. He turned around as he pulled his shirt off, nervously crumpling it in his hands as Ryou barely smothered the gasp that had been jerked from him. He pressed a hand to Seto's shoulder-blade, tracing his fingers down the long scars that streaked his back.

"Gozaburo Kaiba was a harsh man," Seto growled in low tones, bitterness and long-sustained hatred tainting his voice. "He put me through hell and back ever since the day Mokuba and I came to live with him. Mokuba doesn't know. He was too young for me to tell him, and he still doesn't need to know." There was a warning edge to his voice, and Ryou felt his back tense under his hands as Seto contemplated the ramifications of Mokuba, or anybody else, finding out about this. "Gozaburo hated me as much as I hate him." Ryou's eyes and fingers followed the lines across his back, noting how some of them snaked around to his chest and some wrapped as far as his upper arms. It explained why he never wore short sleeves or muscle tanks or was ever shirtless around anybody before he revealed himself to Ryou now. But that didn't quite explain…

Ryou's hand slid from Seto's back to his shoulder and down his arm as he circled around to his partner's front, tossing the shirt that Seto held clenched in his hands onto the bed and lifting up his wrists for examination. The white-haired teen let out a shuddering sigh as he stared at the old scars on the insides of his lover's wrists. There were no recent cuts, thank goodness, but it still made Ryou's heart ache to think of Seto hurting himself. He looked up into those sapphire eyes as if trying to find an answer to the Why? That burned in his mind.

"Gozaburo Kaiba was a harsh man," Seto repeated quietly as he stared down at his own wrists, looking pained as he remembered the beatings he'd received from his step-father, the cutting it had caused, the lengths he'd gone to in order to hide all of it.

"You're not alone," Ryou whispered suddenly, making Seto look up in confusion. He slipped out of his shoes then lifted up one foot, sliding down the back of his sock until the scars on the back of his heel was exposed. "Living with the Spirit of the Millennium Ring was hard. It was kind of… traumatizing to wake up at random times with another's blood on my hands and clothes, not knowing what he'd done or if I'd be arrested at any given point because of some crime he committed." Ryou swallowed hard before continuing slowly. "I never knew if or when I would wake up to find that I'd done something horrible to my friends, and it would be all my fault because I was too weak to stop him." He dropped his foot, kicking off his other shoe so that he stood in his sock feet, giving Seto even more of a height advantage than he already had.

Seto was experiencing the strongest empathy he'd felt in a long time. The last time he'd let himself feel this way was back when he and Mokuba were in the orphanage. He'd shut down his heart as best as possible when they'd been orphaned, but now that he found himself feeling again, he remembered why he'd stopped. He surprised Ryou with a sudden, tight embrace, which his partner returned reassuringly. Tears began to spill from the young CEO's eyes, and he let himself cry thoroughly and whole-heartedly for the first time since his parents had died.

Ryou was taken aback by the sudden deluge, but accepted it without judgment. He couldn't say that he was truly surprised by it, but he was saddened by it. Even so, he was relieved that Seto was finally letting all of this out of his system. It was bad to keep things bottled up inside for years. When Seto's tears were spent, he was still clinging to Ryou as if holding on for dear life.

"I hate crying," he muttered, his tone turning surly as he began to backtrack and hide his vulnerability. He always did this, even with Mokuba and Ryou, because he hated feeling

"But it is good to cry, is it not?" Ryou responded with a smile. "It cleanses the soul."

Seto answered that with cold eyes and a bitter smile. "But not the memory."


	2. Disowned

Rain pounded against the windows of Seto Kaiba's home office as he paused in his work long enough to blink his tired eyes and realize that he'd been working later than he anticipated. Wasn't Ryou supposed to have been here over an hour ago? Seto immediately felt a twinge of guilt and checked his phone for any explanatory texts or missed calls from his boyfriend, only to see that there was nothing. This wasn't like Ryou at all. He felt even more guilty for not realizing that his British boy was probably in trouble in some way. He began to call Ryou's cell, praying that he would pick up and here that he was alright. After Mokuba had been kidnapped half a dozen times, Seto had learned to be paranoid about the safety of those he kept close to his heart.

As the dial tone began grating into Seto's ears, Ryou himself slipped quietly through the doors. Seto immediately hung up and stood, approaching him. "You're soaked," he stated with shock. As he got closer, he noticed that not only were Ryou's hair and clothes soaked with rain, but his cheeks were stained with tears. His head hung low, making him look like an abandoned puppy as he shouldered his duffel bag anxiously. Seto cupped Ryou's cheeks in his hands, angling Ryou's face towards his own as he inspected it more closely. "Something's wrong. What happened? You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm not hurt," he choked out as he started to shiver, water still dripping from the ends of his hair. He glanced away, unable to stare into those penetrating sapphire eyes any longer.

"Well, we'd better get you out of these wet clothes and warmed up, or you will get sick," Seto said firmly, gently taking the duffel bag from his partner and shouldering it for him as he took his hand and led him to the master bedroom. Ryou was unwilling to speak, and he was clearly deeply upset by something, but despite Seto's deep-seated concern, he didn't know how to push the subject or probe for details without making things worse. Usually, things were the other way around for them: Seto was the one upset and reticent while Ryou with his sunny smile and warm chocolate eyes would know exactly how to make his partner feel comfortable enough to open up and allow himself to be consoled.

Seto noticed that Ryou's bag was heavier than usual, but decided not to comment on it just yet. Neither of them spoke until they were embracing in the jacuzzi tub in Seto's bathroom, the water hot enough to be a hot-tub. The brunette was gently washing away all trace of tears from his lover's eyes when he whispered, "Please say something, Ryou. You're scaring me."

Ryou inhaled shakily, closing his eyes for a moment as he fought for composure. "My father came home today. I-It's the first time I've seen him in years. Apparently his last venture lost all of its sponsors, and he decided that he and his… fiance"—Seto didn't miss how Ryou winced when he spoke that particular word—"Would finally come to Domino and settle down, for at least a little bit, until his next trip. H-He didn't tell me that he was coming, so when I came home from work to find him in the apartment, it was quite a shock. H-He said he wanted to reconnect with me, and so we started to talk, and…"

Ryou wrapped his arms around himself in a reassuring manner as he tried to find the courage to keep going, and Seto hugged him as well, pulling him further under the water until it was up to his pale, graceful shoulders. Seto worried that Ryou still felt cold, and hoped that the heat alone would begin to soothe him.

"Well, first he was upset that I don't have the Millennium Ring anymore, and when I tried to explain to him about the Evil Spirit, he accused me of lying." Even Seto had to wince at that; for his own father to accuse Ryou of making up what had essentially been a long-term torture of spiritual, emotional, psychological, and physical abuse wasn't just insensitive, it was cruel in its own way. "When I finally got him off of that topic, he started asking about my personal life, and, well… he wasn't very happy to hear that I'm gay." Ryou's voice broke on the last word, and he hid his face in his hands. Seto felt rage beginning to build up within him towards the elder Bakura. "H-He yelled for a bit, said he was ashamed of me. Then he disowned me, told me that I had an hour to get my things out of the apartment he's been paying for all this time, and left. I packed everything that was important, then I just walked all the way here."

"I'm sorry, Ryou," Seto whispered, doing his best to restrain his temper. Getting angry wouldn't help him. "It doesn't matter what he thinks about us, or what anybody thinks. If love is such a wonderful thing, why does it matter who we fall in love with? You're staying here with me; don't even dream of going anywhere else, or of going back to him. His loss is my gain." Seto was doing his absolute best to sound encouraging and positive, and though it sounded incredibly strange to his own ears, he'd believed it to be what Ryou wanted to hear. When he started crying again, though, Seto became confused. What had he done wrong?

"For the longest time, I just wanted my dad to come home," Ryou whispered between sobs as Seto held him close. "I always thought that if he just came home, things would be better, that I wouldn't miss my mom and sister so much, that maybe the Evil Spirit wouldn't be able to hurt me anymore if he was around. I believed that for so long, because it was my only hope for things ever getting better. I was always grateful that at least I wasn't completely alone, at least I hadn't lost my whole family, but now he's gone too, and I just…" Seto rocked him gently as his beloved wept into his shoulder. Seto could understand what he was feeling, to a degree. Their pasts weren't quite the same, but they were similar enough that Seto could genuinely empathize with him.

"I'm sorry, Ryou," he whispered at last. He thought for a few minutes, then suggested deviously, "You know, you could still show up at the wedding, just to spite him."

"I doubt I'll be receiving an invitation, so I won't even know when or where it is," Ryou muttered disappointedly. He didn't even know what his father's fiance looked like or what her name was, but he would have been welcoming to the woman, whoever she was, when he did finally meet her. Much as he hated the thought of his mother being replaced, having a step-mother was better than nothing at all, right? Now, thinking about their impending wedding just made the freshly-orphaned teen feel sick.

The two of them sat in uncomfortable silence for a little while, Seto's fingers combing out Ryou's tangled hair. He pressed his lips to the pale forehead and murmured, "I know that it's not the same, but I hope that my love can help to make up for the family you've lost." His lips sought Ryou's, and their kiss was a deep, soul-wrenching blend of bittersweet grief.

"Perhaps spending more time with Mokuba will help with that too," he added during a momentary intermission. He knew how much Ryou still missed Amane; he continued writing letters to her on a weekly basis, which Seto had found to be both novel and touching when he first found out. "We're your family now, so don't you dare think that you're alone."


	3. Violin

**"He plays the violin. He tucks it right under his chin…"**

Ryou lay on the divan by the window reading a novel, glancing over ever now and then at Seto as he worked on his laptop, growing increasingly frustrated and tense. Suddenly, he reached his breaking point. With an angry growl, he closed his laptop and opened one of the bottom drawers of his desk and pulled something out of it, standing, striding over to a far wall, and straightening his spine as he assumed a practiced stance. Ryou's eyes widened in surprise to see what his boyfriend was holding: a violin. In awe, he watched Seto place it between his chin and shoulder and lift the bow to the strings.

 **"And he bows, yes he bows…"**

As Seto played a lively, angry Russian piece, Ryou found himself quite impressed. Every note was perfectly in tune, his technique was flawless, his vibrato was impeccable, and he performed the whole ten-minute piece from memory. This was a passionate side of Seto that he'd never seen before, and he wondered why he'd never before told Ryou that he played an instrument. Was he ashamed? Was it a secret? Had he simply not thought it pertinent to sare? As Seto brought the song to a close, Ryou—now sitting up—put down his book and broke into eager applause, startling Seto, who'd forgotten Ryou's presence entirely. He lowered the violin and faced Ryou with a blush, looking uncomfortable.

Ryou stood and approached him, exclaiming, "That was wonderful!"

 **"For he knows, yes he knows…"**

"How come you never told me that you play violin?" he asked, the song still vibrating in his veins.

"I guess I just didn't think to," Seto answered, Ryou's enthusiasm making him soften and give a small smile. He set the instrument down carefully upon his desk, Ryou taking his hands in his own and pulling him into an embrace and pressing a kiss to each of Seto's burning cheeks, which only flamed the more that Ryou kissed him. He was beginning to feel profoundly embarrassed.

"Watching you play violin was adorable," Ryou murmured, rubbing his nose against Seto's, who returned the nuzzle affectionately. "I've never seen you so passionate outside the bedroom before."

Ryou let out a faint squeal as Seto took him in his arms, and dipped him, as if they'd been dancing, a sly smile softening his features. Now it was Ryou's turn to blush.

 **"That it's hi-hi-hi-diddle twixt my heart, Tom, and his fiddle.  
My strings are unstrung. Hi-hi-hi-hi. I'm always undone."**

 **Author Notes:** This song is "He Plays The Violin" by Betty Buckley from the musical 1776. This fic is dedicated to BreakfastForLife in exchange for another chapter for one of her fics. Enjoy!


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